Tag: newborn

Developing a newborn's sleep schedule may seem impossible to a new mom who can barely remember what day of the week it is, but the fact is training your baby to sleep through the night is easier than you might think.

The key to discovering your newborn’s sleep pattern lies in recognizing the last word in that phrase as the most important; in order to formulate a baby sleep schedule, you must first develop a sleep pattern.

Before attempting to uncover infant sleep patterns and problems, parents must first comprehend the importance of sleep itself. Sleep, or the lack of this precious commodity, is one of the most significant influences on a healthy life. Sleep is critically important during the first year because the human growth hormone is released during deep sleep.

When I was in medical school, we had a lengthy class on abnormal dermatologic findings, spread out over the course of months and integrated across various body system courses. When we learned about cancerous diseases, we also learned about the ways those problems manifest themselves in the skin.

In the beginning, someone in the class would inevitably start to panic that he had some horrible illness whenever we learned about a new condition, convinced he should call his family and arrange for a memorial service on the spot.

Many years ago, I was pregnant, single and alone. I gave birth in a foreign country, and never saw my baby. I had no emotional support. Several years later, I was happily married, and we got pregnant. I gave birth with a supportive husband, but away from extended family and friends. We had no emotional support. These contrasting, yet similar, experiences motivate me to offer comfort, encouragement and guidance to new families. There are, however, major gaps in helping new families in our communities.

Dear Mr. Dad: Help! I’m a new mom and I’m bored out of my mind. Everyone says how much fun it is to have a baby, but sometimes I can’t think of anything to do with her. Do you have any suggestions?

Although simple things like pots and pans or trips to the grocery store have lost some of their charm for you, keep in mind that just about everything in the world is new to your child. This means that there is literally no limit to the number of fun—and educational—things you can do with your baby.